The Wishing Stone
by Dede42
Summary: When Rarity and her friends go to Canterlot for the Royal Fashion Show, she goes shopping at the International Market and buys a unique booth run by a mysterious unicorn. When Rarity wishes that the ponies of Ponyville were more like her, she realizes that you have to be careful what you wish for when it does come true! Can she figure out how to undo her wish before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1: WISHFUL

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Wishing Stone

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _MLP: Friendship is Magic!_

I'm back (sneezes) Sorry, I still have this cold that is slowly going away, and now it's time for another original MLP story by yours truly that was actually recommended by a reviewer long ago. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: WISHFUL**

It was nighttime in Equestria and in a hidden location deep in the Everfree Forest, Shadow Star was working on a project that would allow her to take over the land.

'_Of course, I would've been ruler by _now_ if it wasn't for Princess Celestia's _precious_ students and their friends,'_ she thought sourly, organizing her supplies._ 'But, I _now_ have something that should keep them busy for a while.'_

Shadow Star opened a wooden box and smiled at the darkly glowing contents. "_Yes, this_ should keep them _very_ busy."

* * *

The next morning, the Mane Seven were riding the train to Canterlot with Spike and Sarah. They were going to help Rarity, who was taking part in the Royal Fashion Show with one of her latest fashion line that was inspired by Sarah's _Friendship Warriors_ book series.

"This will be my first ever fashion show," Sarah remarked. "I mean, back in Las Pegasus, I was invited to attend fashion shows, but I never saw the point of going."

"Perfectly understandable, darling," Rarity assured her. "Which is why I made you a bunch of pantsuits instead of a dress."

"And those suits are wonderful," Sarah complimented.

Rarity beamed and then looked out the window, and her forehead furrowed as she frowned a little.

"Is everything ok, Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle asked the gray unicorn.

"What? Oh, I was just thinking about going to the International Market," Rarity informed her friends. "I'm hoping to find something there to be the final touch for the Dark Empress gown."

The ponies nodded understandingly since that particular dress was the headliner for the entire collection.

"After we drop off everything at the palace, we can go to the market with you," Sunrise Blossom offered.

"Yeah, if we search together, we're sure to find somethin' that'll work," Applejack agreed.

Rarity smiled gratefully at her friends. "That would be _wonderful_," she told them.

Pleased, the friends spent the rest of the trip, chatting and planning.

* * *

After arriving in Canterlot and putting their luggage in the suites provided by Princess Celestia, the group headed out to take part in the International market, which was filled with booths selling exotic items not found in Equestria.

"Oh look!" Fluttershy exclaimed, pointing to a golden-colored bird that was preening its feathers. "A Gold Eagle from Saddle Arabia!"

"I see cheese from Yakyakistan!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Pearls from the South Luna Ocean!" said Rarity. "They're _lovely_, but not what I'm looking for," she added, disappointed. "Although, those pearls would work for a different project."

"You buy those pearls, Rarity," Rainbow Dash advised, "and we can split up to search the rest of the market."

Rarity nodded. "Excellent idea, darling," she agreed and purchased two bags of pearls to be sent to her suite at the palace. She and her friend parted ways to explore the market.

* * *

'_To think that so _many_ different lands border Equestria,'_ Rarity thought, admiring some red velvet cloth that she'd ordered a roll of, and resumed her search. _'So many _wonderful_ things, and yet…'_

She stopped at a booth that had different kinds of jewelry on display, and was examining the pieces when the owner, wearing a dark blue silk robe and headpiece so you could only see the dark purple eyes, came up to the grey unicorn.

"You like?" she asked with a thick accent, nodding to some brooches. "Come from the Frozen North. Sell one to lovely pony like you."

"They _are_ lovely," Rarity agreed and she found herself looking fixed on a dark-colored brooch shaped like a rose, and it seemed to have a hint of iridescent beetle green that appeared when it caught the light just right. "Especially…_that_ one."

The owner nodded again. "Lovely, yes, sell at good price to lovely lady," she said and was already wrapping up the brooch. "Very special, too."

"Special how?" Rarity inquired, giving the owner twenty bits, only to be given back ten of them.

"It is said, that a brooch from the Frozen North can grant wishes," she explained. "Make all wishes come true, no limit on wishes."

Amused, Rarity thanked the owner and left with the brooch, which was _perfect _for the dress.

* * *

Once the grey unicorn was gone, the owner closed the booth and duck behind the curtain. Removing her disguise, Shadow Star cackled.

"_Oh_, that brooch is _very special _indeed," she told the small silver figure that was still trapped in the bottle, and it reacted by hitting the glass angrily. "Save your strength, little one, you'll need it when the time is right."

* * *

Meanwhile, Rarity rejoined her friends at a booth selling food, and they all talked about their purchases before heading back to the palace for the fashion show.

* * *

When the fashion show started, the Mane Seven were backstage, where Rarity was making sure that their outfits were ready before it was their turn to go out on the runway. Each of her friends, including Sarah, were dressed as one of the character from the _Friendship Warriors_ book series:

Twilight Sparkle was dressed as Celestial Aurora, the leader of the Friendship Warriors, and her outfit was made out of midnight blue, light green, and pale purple silk with sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds covering the dress, moons and stars on the cape, and a diamond tiara that had an emerald in the middle, which focused her Friendship beam that grew more powerful when her friends shared their power with her.

Sunrise Blossom was dressed as Solar Ruby, second-in-command of the Friendship Warriors, and her outfit was made out of red and yellow silk with red rubies and gold sun patterns on the cape, and sunburst tiara that had a ruby in the middle, which focused her Knowledge beam.

Applejack was dressed as Apple Sapphire, who was responsible for the defenses of the realm, and her outfit was made out of red and blue silk with rubies and sapphires, apple patterns on the cape, and she wore a blue cowboy hat with a ruby/sapphire brooch in the middle, which focused her Honesty beam.

Fluttershy was dressed as Topaz Rose, who was kind and cared for the animals of the realm, and her outfit was made out of pale yellow and pale red silk with topaz and rubies, rose patterns on the cape, and she wore a tiara with a rose-shaped topaz in the middle, which focused her Kindness beam.

Pinkie Pie was dressed as Circus Opal, who was in charge of everything fun in the realm, and her outfit was made out of light blue, green, and purple silk with pink opals, circus patterns on the cape, and she wore a purple party hat with a pink opal in the middle, which focused her Fun beam.

Rarity was currently dressed as Velvet Magic, who was in charge of keeping the realm's fashion up to date, and her outfit was made out of dark purple and pale blue silk with diamonds and sapphires, diamond patterns on the cape, and she wore a tiara with a diamond in the middle, which focused her Generosity beam.

Rainbow Dash was dressed as Crystal Rain, who was in charge of the weather of the realm, and her outfit was made out of blue, green, and white silk with diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires, rain patterns on the cape, and she wore a silver helmet with a sapphire in the middle, which focused her Loyalty beam.

Spike was dressed as Smoky Emerald, who was the loyal aide to the Friendship Warriors, and his outfit was made out of black and green velvet with opals and emeralds, smoke patterns on the cape, and he wore a green helmet with an opal in the center, which enable him to see further and hear better when he scouted ahead on their missions.

Sarah was dressed as Quartz Tale, who was the plucky reporter that reported the success of the Friendship Warriors' missions, and her outfit was made out of purple silk with a silver quill pattern inlaid in the clothes, and she made a point of wearing her quartz pendent since it went with the outfit perfectly.

"Ok, it's our turn," said Rarity when she saw the stage manager waving to them. "Let's knock them dead!"

Her friends all giggled before composing themselves, and they went out onto the runway one at a time.

* * *

_`"And _now_ for the final gown in the Friendship Warriors Collection, worn by Rarity herself, the _Dark Empress_!"`_ the MC called out, and the audience gasped and applauded as Rarity stepped out onto the runway once again.

The gown was made out of black silk that flashed green when it caught the light, was inlaid with dark green emeralds, black opals, and the cape was inlaid with black feathers that also flashed green. The cape was held in place by the brooch and on her head was a black crown covered with dark emeralds. She walked the runway, posing imperiously at the end, and she walked back as the audience continued clapping and pictures were taken.

* * *

After the show was over, the ponies attended the party, where many fashion ponies were gushing over the designs, and Sarah helped Rarity take down orders for the entire collection, especially the Dark Empress gown.

"I confess, I enjoyed the fashion show," Sarah admitted to her friends. "It was actually entertaining, and gave me the perfect idea for my next mystery novel: _Murder at the Fashion Show_."

"Glad to be of help, darling," Rarity said graciously and greeted Fancy Pants, who had loved the show and placed an order for the entire collection for Fleur de Lis as an birthday present.

* * *

When the party began to wind down, Rarity was helping her friends carry Pinkie Pie, who'd passed out in one of the punch bowls, out of the ballroom when she overheard two snotty ponies speak.

"I have to admit that it _is_ amazing that a fashion pony like Rarity comes from _Ponyville_."

"I _know_, and most ponies from _Ponyville_ wouldn't recognize _real_ fashion from _farm equipment_."

Rarity fought down an impulse to scold them and focused on her friends instead, not letting on of how much those words stung.

* * *

Saying goodnight to her friends, Rarity went to her suite, changed out of the dress, and put the brooch in a box on a table by the windows. She rested her forelegs on the window sill and looked up at the moon.

'_How_ rude_ of them to talk about Ponyville like that,'_ she thought angrily._ 'Yes, they aren't as fashion-focused like me, but they _do_ care about fashion.'_

Rarity sighed sadly. "Oh, I _wish_ the ponies of Ponyville were more fashion-focused like me," she said wistfully and went to bed.

Unknown to her, the brooch started glowing when she made her wish, and a dark-colored orb of light rose out of it. The orb hovered for a few seconds and then shot out the window, heading for Ponyville.

In the distance, the town glowered briefly, and after that, nothing.

* * *

A/N: Uh oh, what will Rarity and her friends find when they return to Ponyville? You'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: PONIES ACTING LIKE RARITY?

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Wishing Stone

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _MLP: Friendship is Magic!_

(Sneezes) Sorry for the late update, but I had errands to run, my cold is slowly going away, and it's cold out, so I'm staying indoors as much as possible and enjoying hot chocolate. Time to see what will happen now that Rarity has made that wish. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: PONIES ACTING LIKE RARITY?**

The next morning, the ponies returned to Ponyville and at first, none of them noticed anything different about their fellow ponies until one of them entered the boutique.

"Good morning, Madame Mayor," Rarity greeted Mayor Mare, who was wearing her mane and tail differently since they'd been curled. "May I help you?"

"Good morning, Miss Rarity," Mayor Mare replied in a formal tone. "I have an important town meeting coming up, and I need something _fitting_ to wear."

"Oh, of course."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Apothecary, Sunrise Blossom picked up faster that something odd was going on when Cherryshine stopped by to buy some herbs and began talking about how the orange unicorn should update her hairstyle.

"Um, I'll consider it," Sunrise Blossom said, perplexed as Cherryshine left. "That was odd."

* * *

Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was perplexed by the sight of Granny Smith wearing her hair differently and replanting the flowerbeds so that the colors fitted together better.

Big Macintosh was repainting the barn so it was a different shade of red that wasn't so garnish, and Apple Bloom was trying ribbons on the farm animals them ore stylish.

'Why_ are they acting like this?'_ Applejack wondered while convincing her sister not to dye the chickens' feathers.

* * *

Meanwhile over at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie didn't notice anything odd at first with the Cakes reorganizing the displays or that their clothing was different but stylish.

However, she started paying attention when she was frosting a multi-layered cake for an upcoming party at the Ponyville Retirement Village, and Mrs. Cake started criticizing her.

"Pinkie, darling, that is _completely_ wrong," she tsked, nudging the pink pony aside to get at the cake. "Purple and yellow frosting simply _do not_ go together." And she carefully removed the frosting.

"Mrs. Cake, I read the order and it says a chocolate cake with purple and yellow frosting," Pinkie Pie pointed out.

"That was yesterday, darling," said Mr. Cake. "Today, they want their cake to have pastel blue and pink frosting."

'_Ok, since _when_ do the Cakes act like fancy fashion ponies?'_ the pink pony wondered.

* * *

By the time the Mane Seven got together for lunch, they all had had strange experiences, even Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had noticed the strange way that the ponies were acting.

"I was checking on the weather patrol earlier," Rainbow Dash discovered, "and I find them reorganizing the clouds by size, and trying to reshape them in order to make them more artistically _pleasing_."

"When I took Angel to get his physical," Fluttershy informed her friends. "The vet was in the middle of styling the fur, feathers, and scales of the poor animals, and they weren't very happy."

"Well, an hour after getting back to the library," Twilight Sparkle announced, "I caught Sarah insisting that Spike should reorganize the books by color, and she was wearing her hair differently."

As they compared notes, it became apparent that the ponies all had fashion on the brain, which was making them act differently, talk differently, and wear their hair differently, too.

"In fact, it's like they're all copying _your_ hairstyle, Rarity," Applejack remarked.

Rarity shrugged. "Well, if everypony is wanting to be more fashion conscious, is that so wrong?" she inquired.

"It's not wrong, just odd, said Sunrise Blossom. "It's just that whenever something odd starts happening, there's usually trouble right behind it."

"Sunrise _is _right," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "I think we all should be more mindful of what's going on with our fellow ponies, and figure out what could be causing this."

Her friends agreed, especially when the waiter brought them all dainty cucumber sandwiches and tea instead of the actual orders, and even Rarity had to concede that there was a problem since she'd ordered a salad and not something elegant. And it became more apparent when they tried to convince the waiter to bring their proper orders, and they were ordered to leave instead by the manager.

What was going on with the ponies? Why were they acting like this?

* * *

A/N: Oh boy, maybe Rarity should have been more careful about what she wished for. Ok, once again I have back-to-back morning shifts at the movie theater tomorrow and Friday, which means I won't get to update again until Monday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: GOING DARK SIDE!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Wishing Stone

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _MLP: Friendship is Magic!_

Something strange is going on in Ponyville, and it's going to get even stranger before the Mane Seven can figure out how to undo the wish. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: GOING DARK SIDE!**

Over the next few days, the Mane Seven noticed that their fellow ponies were acting like Rarity _so much_, that the real Rarity was becoming _very_ uncomfortable, and the fact that the affected ponies' bodies and hair was darkening wasn't a good sign either.

* * *

"The Cakes _threw _me out of Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie Pie wailed. "And all because I wouldn't' let them redecorate my bedroom!"

While Fluttershy comforted the pink pony, their friends compared notes of the affected ponies, who were becoming meaner and darker.

"Worst, I overheard Mayor Mare wanting to rename Ponyville _Fashionville_," Rarity reported, "and she intends to throw out _any_ pony that doesn't conform to the new rules."

"And we _still_ don't know what's causing this," Rainbow Dash added. "No pony was acting like this when we went to Canterlot to take part in the fashion show."

"There's also the matter that we seven haven't been affected yet," Applejack pointed out.

"Whatever happened, it probably happen when we were in Canterlot," Twilight Sparkle guessed. "We need to go over _everything_ we did and say before the fashion show and _after_ the fashion show."

* * *

Meanwhile over in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was going over some reports about possible sightings of Changelings and also possible sightings of Shadow Star, who'd been lying low since the destruction of the Flower of Eternal Rest, and encouraging Trixie to go after the Alicorn Amulet.

'_Shadow Star seeks to rule Equestria,'_ she thought, _'and that _mustn't _happen.'_ She was pulled from her thoughts when the door to her study open, and Princess Luna entered. "Yes, my sister?"

"I visited Silver Star's dream," Princess Luna informed her sister, "and she told me that Shadow Star has put the Dark Wishing Rose into play."

"Are you sure, Luna?" Princess Celestia asked, knowing the legend of the Wishing Roses, and what would happen if only one stone rose was wished upon.

Princess Luna nodded her regal head gravely. "Yes, for she saw her aunt sell it to a grey unicorn with long purple hair on the day of the Royal Fashion Show."

"Rarity bought the Dark Wishing Rose," Princess Celestia realized with growing horror, and started when there was a knock on the door. "Enter."

The door opened and one of the Royal Guards entered. "Your Highnesses," he said formally. "Grave news is coming from Ponyville. Some form of dark magic is affecting the ponies, and the only ponies unaffected are Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, and their friends."

"Thank you for the report," Princess Celestia said, and the guard left. "A wish was made, and the effects have started."

Princess Luna nodded. "Yes, and if the Light Wishing Rose isn't found soon, then the power of the dark wish will spread."

"Yes, it will."

* * *

Back in Ponyville, the Mane Seven and Spike were gathered in the Apothecary, which was the only safe place left that was unaffected by the dark magic affecting the ponies that had chased Applejack off the farm, Fluttershy out of her home, Rainbow Dash from her home, and both Twilight Sparkle and Spike out of the library.

It was clear that they were running out of time.

* * *

"Here's everything I bought at the market that day," said Rarity, who was upset that Sweetie Belle had kicked her out of her own boutique.

Sunrise Blossom examined each of the items and paused when she got to the brooch, which she was certain was glowing a little. "Rarity, where in the market did you buy this brooch?" she asked, magically picking it up for a better look.

"I bought it at a booth that was selling jewelry," the grey unicorn answered. "She told me it came from the Frozen North and it could grant wishes."

"W-wishes?" the orange unicorn repeated with an alarmed expression. "Twilight, do you have that book about ancient artifacts?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded and pulled out the book she'd managed to get out of the library earlier. "Right here," she said, flipping through it until she stopped on a page with a drawing of the dark-colored brooch and a light-colored brooch. "Here we are, the Dark Wishing Rose and the Light Wishing Rose."

"Don't tell me, those were created by the Lady of Shadows," Rainbow Dash guessed with a shudder. "Just what we _don't_ need, another evil artifact made by _her_."

"Actually, these were made by both Azure Ruby _and_ Shining Light," Sunrise Blossom corrected the blue pegasus as she read the legend. "_'Long ago, a star fell from the sky and landed not far from the castle of the sisters. When they went to the crater, they found two glowing stones lying inside: a dark one and a light one. Sensing the magic contained within them, they took the stones and fashioned them into the wishing stones. Together, the stones could grant wishes, keeping them balanced. However, if only one stone was wished upon, then the wish would become corrupted.'_

"'_When Azure Ruby became the Lady of Shadows, she stole the wishing stones and hid away the Light Wishing Rose and tried to use the wishes of the Dark Wishing Rose to corrupt Equestria. She came close to victory, but she was stopped by Swirl Beard the Bearded, Mythic Diadem, and their allies when they found the Light Wishing Rose, and they were able to stop the corrupted wishes by wishing on both stones. Unfortunately the wishing stones disappeared some time after that, and nopony knows where they are.' _Until now."

The group all eyed the brooch uneasily when Spike suddenly coughed out green fire that became a scroll, and Twilight Sparkle quickly read it.

_To my faithful students, Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom,_

_It is urgent that you and your friends come to Canterlot right away,_

_And bring the Dark Wishing Rose with you._

_The wishing stone can only be stopped by combining it with the_

_Light Wishing Rose._

_Princess Celestia._

"Maybe Princess Celestia knows where the Light Wishing Rose is," Fluttershy suggested. "And if we can find it-"

"Then we can undo the wish I made," Rarity interrupted. "We must get to the train station as soon as possible."

Agreeing with that plan, Sunrise Blossom sealed the Dark Wishing Rose inside the box, which she put into her saddlebags, and she hurried downstairs with her friends toward the front door. They were halfway to the door when there was a loud banging that stopped them in their tracks, and then the door was kicked open by Big Mac, who was looking darker and meaner then before.

"Big Mac! What the hay are you-?" Applejack began when Mayor Mare entered, looking equally dark and mean, and she broke off, swallowing since she didn't like the look on the pony's face.

"Well, well, _well_," said Mayor Mare, glaring at the seven ponies and the baby dragon. "_Here_ are the hold-outs on the new rules. Seize them!"

When a group of ponies entered with ropes, Twilight Sparkle and Sunrise Blossom combined their magic and teleported their group away.

"Find them!"

* * *

A/N: Oh boy, it looks like the Mane Seven are going to be having a hard time getting to Canterlot at this rate. I will see you all on Wednesday with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: MISSION: FIND THE STONE

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Wishing Stone

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _MLP: Friendship is Magic!_

It's time for the final chapter of this story and to see if the Mane Seven can find the other wishing stone and undo Rarity's wish. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: MISSION: FIND THE STONE**

It took a while for the group to avoid the lynch mob of dark ponies, but eventually they reached the train station and caught the train heading for Canterlot. One train ride later, they were in the palace with the Princesses, and they explained the situation to them.

* * *

"If I had _know_ this was one of the wishing stones, I _never_ would have made that wish," Rarity concluded, feeling guilty for making that wish in the first place.

"You have no reason to feel guilty, Rarity," Princess Celestia told the grey unicorn kindly. "Not many ponies know about the wishing stones, and those who do, know that they must be used together to keep a wish balanced."

"How did you know we had the wishing stone?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"I told my sister about the Dark Wishing Rose," Princess Luna announced. "As you know, I watch over the dream realm and through a dream, I learned that Shadow Star had somehow obtained the Dark Wishing Rose, and _she_ tricked you into buying it, Rarity."

Rarity scowled. "Ooh, when I get my hooves on her," she grumbled. "Know her to use something _beautiful_ against us."

"So, _how_ do we undo the wish before it's too late?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "I mean, there's nothing to hint as to where the _other_ wishing stone could be."

"I hate to say it, but Dash is right," Applejack agreed. "Without the other wishing stone, we can't stop the dark wish that's corruptin' our friends and families."

Fluttershy hesitantly raised a hoof to get their attention. "Um, I was wondering why we haven't been affected by the dark wish?" she asked.

"Good question, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie agreed. "_Why_ aren't we going dark like the other ponies back in Ponyville?"

Princess Celestia smiled. "The reason why you seven haven't been affected by the dark wish," she explained. "It's because of your connection to the Elements of Harmony. They are protecting you from the dark effects of the wish, and that should help you when you search for the Light Wishing Rose."

"And we have managed to find the location of the Light Wishing Rose," Princess Luna added, and she used her magic to create an image of the nearby mountain range. "Here," she continued as one of the mountains were highlighted. "At the base of this mountain is an old village, and beyond it is a cave that was once used to hold ceremonies in the old days. There, you will find the missing wishing stone, and you must find it quickly before it is too late to reverse the dark wish."

Princess Celestia brought forth the chest that the Elements of Harmony were kept in, and the seven ponies accepted their respective Elements. "With every minute that passes, the dark magic of the wish grows stronger and eventually it will leave Ponyville to spread through the rest of Equestria," she warned. "And as you get closer to the Light Wishing Rose, the Dark Wishing Rose will try to stop you."

The two Princesses then combined their magic to open a portal to the old village and the mountain behind it. "Go quickly."

Nodding, the seven ponies and Spike, who was carrying the box that the Dark Wishing Rose was residing in, went through the portal and found themselves on the edge of the old village, and the portal closed behind them. The village had clearly been abandoned for a _very_ long time, and as much as Twilight Sparkle wanted to explore the village, she knew that they didn't have anytime to waste.

They hurried through the ruined village and toward the cave located some distance from the village.

* * *

It didn't take them very long to reach the cave and were about to enter when Spike yelped and dropped the box, backing from it as a dark glow started leaking out of it. "Guys! I – I-"

Twilight Sparkle quickly put a shield around the box, keeping the dark magic from spreading, and lifted it into the air. "You stay here where it's safe, Spike," she instructed. "We'll take it from here."

The baby dragon nodded and sat on a nearby rock while the Mane Seven entered the cave.

* * *

Unlike the last cave that the ponies had been in, it didn't take them very long to reach a cavern that had a crumbling alter in the center, and on it, they could see a light-colored version of the wishing stone, and it was glowing.

"There it is," said Applejack and they were about to start forward when Twilight Sparkle yelped, and they saw that the dark magic was pushing against her magic, and she was clearly in pain. "Twilight!"

"Rarity, take the wishing stone and join it with the other one quickly!" Sunrise Blossom ordered, using her magic to take the stone from her sister, grunting in pain when the dark magic tried to overwhelm her, and gave it to the grey unicorn as the Elements of Harmony powered up to protect them.

Rarity magically took the box, grunting when the dark magic collided with her Element, and she turned toward the alter. Focusing on the task and not the dark magic that was trying to convince her to give in, she moved toward the alter, where the Light Wishing Rose was glowing brighter, almost as if it could sense the other wishing stone.

'_I can do this,'_ Rarity thought when she reached the alter and glanced back at her friends, and she was alarmed to see that the dark magic was on the verge of overwhelming them since their skin and hair was starting to darken, and she removed the Dark Wishing Rose from the box. The pain grew worse as the dark magic pushed against her Element to get to her, and she managed to set it next to the Light Wishing Rose.

"I – I – I _wish_ the ponies of Ponyville were back to their normal selves!" she shouted and yelped when the two stone flashed brightly, making the area go white. After several hour-long seconds, the light vanished and she blinked, finding that both stones were no longer glowing. "Did, did it work?" she wondered.

"It did," said Fluttershy as they all gathered around the grey unicorn, and they hugged, happy that the nightmare was over.

* * *

After returning both the Elements of Harmony and the wishing stones to the Princesses, who would make sure that nopony would have access to the wishing stones, they returned to Ponyville. Much to their relief, the ponies were already going back to their normal selves, and life returned to normal once again.

* * *

In her hideout, Shadow Star watched all of this in her special mirror and tsked a little. "Too bad that dark wish didn't spread beyond Ponyville," she remarked, "but thanks to the distraction that the Dark Wishing Rose provided, I was able to obtain the rest of what I needed for my own plans." She then went to the bottle that her niece was trapped in, and she eyed her. "Although, I _do_ wonder how the Princesses knew that I had the Dark Wishing Rose," she added. "Do you know _anything_ about that, little one?"

_`"How would I know _anything_ about that?"`_ Silver Star demanded angrily._ `"I haven't had access to the outside world for the _longest_ time thanks to you!"`_ And she thumped the side of the bottle in frustration._ `"Let me out!"`_

Shadow Star shook her head, smirking as she went back to begin organizing the ingredients and items for her plan to take over Equestria. "Eventually you will leave that bottle, little one, but not today."

Silver Star glared at her aunt and then she turned away as her eyes began brimming with tears._ 'I hope what Princess Luna has been telling me in my dreams are true,'_ she thought sadly, curling up on the straw that'd been serving as her bed._ 'And that the day is coming when my aunt will be stopped, and I will have my freedom.'_

* * *

A/N: Good news is that the wish has been reversed, but what is it that Shadow Star has planned? And what part does she expect Silver Star to play? Anyway, I will see you all on Friday for the start of the next episode. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


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